Claim OwnershipLiving Beyond Your Memes: Closing the Credibility Gap
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© Brian La Croix
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A Boomer and a “Xennial” discuss ways Christians can break past negative stereotypes and become people who interact with people the way Jesus did, even in moments of intense disagreement.
Join Brian La Croix (the Boomer) and Josh Latterell (the other guy) as we look at tangible means to reflect the love and concern of Christ for the world around us.
On top of discussing timely topics, we also provide great Chuck Norris facts, in the shameless hope he will come across the podcast and be a guest…
Now, get off my lawn!!
Join Brian La Croix (the Boomer) and Josh Latterell (the other guy) as we look at tangible means to reflect the love and concern of Christ for the world around us.
On top of discussing timely topics, we also provide great Chuck Norris facts, in the shameless hope he will come across the podcast and be a guest…
Now, get off my lawn!!
47 Episodes
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Last episode of this series.
We discuss not merely having courage to stand up for Christian values in society, but also having courage to stand up when your "tribe" (political party, etc.), does, sends, or supports something unbiblical - even if you agree with the rest of what they do.
Part 3 of this series. In this episode we begin by looking at how evangelical Christians can be viewed as not caring about poverty issues because we're more concerned about things like eradicating abortion. But the fact is that we should be concerned about BOTH, and we can be - without giving up convictions about either. Here are some ways to display that concern.
THANKS for your patience as we've had a sporadic publishing schedule of late, due to an unforeseen medical emergency. Lord willing, we'll be back to our regular schedule very soon!
Part 2 of this series, this time talking about the need for Christians to be people who use the brain God gave them - and not be duped by others who want to manipulate and use them, especially in the political realm.
During some sermon research a while back, Brian came across a message from another pastor that referenced "Wizard of Oz Christianity," which talked about various aspects of the Christian life impacting society around us.
Josh and Brian take that theme and run with it a bit, hoping to challenge the Church of Jesus to be intentional about having a church home, using the brains God gave us, having a heart for the people around us, and taking courage to speak up and act in ways that honor Christ and bring positive impact.
When Scripture tells of something that happened or that someone did, does that mean WE are supposed to do that or have that happen to US? Not necessarily. In this episode we take a look at four examples of Scripture that people have claimed to be applicable to us, and why that is not handling Scripture correctly.
Jesus commands us to love our enemies. But later Jesus goes even further in a discussion with a person trying to justify himself in his treatment of others.
In this episode, Brian describes what God has been talking to him about when it comes to interacting with people, specifically in the LGBTQ+ community.
Hint: they AREN'T enemies!!
If you let your opinions, thoughts, and beliefs be known, chances are you will receive some pushback from someone who disagrees (unless you only express yourself in the bubble of like-minded people).
Sometimes that pushback can be encouraging - when it is done graciously, with the intent of educating you on some point you've missed or hadn't considered. Other times it can be mean-spirited and ugly, just meant to berate. Sometimes it's a mixture of both...
Anyhoo...how do we respond in ways that show grace and Christlikeness? That's what we try to tackle today.
There is a line of thinking that says Christians shouldn't care what others think of us - particularly in terms of our positions on social/political issues. That we should just stick to the truth, because Christians have always been "hated" for what they believe.
However, Scripture very clearly says that a good reputation among those who don't follow Jesus is a must.
So how do we balance the two? Do we have to give up convictions for the sake of getting along? Our belief is no - but that our reputations in the community will go a long way to helping us positively influence the people around us.
"Every city has hungry people." That's a quote (or at least a close paraphrase) of a comment Brian heard during a morning radio broadcast to promote a joint effort between a local Catholic order of nuns, and other religious groups in town to gather food for local food banks. The point was that even with major theological differences, people of different faith backgrounds can come together to meet the immediate need of feeding hungry people.
This is also possible in the political spectrum. Brian references (although certainly imperfectly - Sorry to Senators Thune and Johnson...) how two senators from South Dakota came together in spite of their different political parties for the sake of helping the state's farmers and ranchers.
We believe this kind of thing pleases Jesus, and helps people see the gospel in action.
The flip-side of what we discussed the past two weeks. While we believe that we don't have to agree with someone's lifestyle, opinions, etc., in order to love them, we also believe that disagreement does not equal hate (or fear) toward that person or persons.
There is no question that there are Christians who are hateful toward certain people groups and population. That is not the model of Jesus. But how do we show people that the loud minorities of Christians do not represent all, or even most, Christians?
Part 2 of our discussion on why it's possible to love someone even if you disagree on very important issues, including the lifestyle of someone close to you.
There is an idea that to truly love someone you must agree with their viewpoint, lifestyle, politics, etc. We examine how that is not necessarily the case in this two-part discussion.
Christians should be the most generous people in the world. We have the examples of Jesus and the early church, as well as the teachings of the apostles to affirm that. We discuss some tangible ways to be generous, as well as look at Brian's story about how starting to tithe began the turnaround from a life of financial despair to a life of financial peace.
We continue our discussion about what happens when a leader falls or is accused of something that causes scandal in the Church. We look at 9 ways a person can help bring healing in the midst of the hurt. Note: this is not a prescription for how church leadership should handle things; this is about how individuals can process and promote healing.
It's a fact in Church history that many leaders have fallen - they've succumbed to sexual temptations, temptations of power and celebrity, and even abuse in these areas. This is hurtful to the victims of those who have sinned, but also to their loved ones, their ministries, and of course, the cause of Christ overall. In this episode, we begin a discussion about how do we react/respond when a respected leader falls or is accused of something.
Link to "Let the Trumpet Sound," (biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.): https://www.amazon.com/Let-Trumpet-Sound-Martin-Luther/dp/B08GGCKQQQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ZVPPL22LBBLX&keywords=let+the+trumpet+sound+stephen+oates&qid=1678550555&sprefix=let+the+trum%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-1
It's easy to pass on "information" we think is true - or want to be true, because it supports our view of a person or issue. But Christians have an obligation to be bearers of TRUTH - not rumor of gossip. Gossip is a sin and has no place in the life of a follower of Jesus. Listen as we discuss this very important topic, see what Scripture has to say, and look at the timeless wisdom of Chuck Swindoll as he address gossip.
The overall image of the Church in American is not very positive. Yet the early church described in Acts 2 had a very positive reputation. Why was that? Is there anything we can pull from that context into our own?
On a previous episode we discussed the idea that angry Christians can actually be a hindrance - to the message they're trying to convey, and even more importantly, to the good news of Jesus. But you can have strong convictions and still communicate them in ways that gain a hearing rather than push people away. We look at some of the words of Paul in looking at this very important issue.
We continue our discussion about this issue, focusing on the examples of Paul and Jesus - both of whom were very aware of their rights, both civil and religious, but were also very aware of how the exercising of those rights affected others.
Christians have rights enshrined in our official documents - particularly the Bill of Rights within our Constitution. But our rights are limited by our responsibilities toward other. Listen as we discuss that premise; and feel free to give us your feedback on this very important issue.
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